Richard P Arsenty Papers, 2003-2013 | The Sousa Archives and Center for American Music

Materials are organized in four series: Series 1, Libretti, 1812-2008; Series 2, Research and Publications, 1909-2013; Series 3, Audiovisual Materials, 1931-2005. Materials in Series 1 and 2 are arranged in alphabetical order. Materials in Series 2 are in original order.

Richard P. Arsenty was born in 1945 in Woodstock, Illinois. As a young man, he attended the University of Illinois, earning degrees in both biology education and library science. He taught at the high school and collegiate levels for seven years, before working as a libretto translator for MRF Records for eight years. Following his employment with MRF, he worked as a reference librarian at Purchase College in New York. After retiring early, he continued his work with libretti, translating over 160 opera libretti for the Opera Orchestra of New York, the New York City Opera, Orfeo Records, and Opera Rara among other organizations.

Description: Consists of opera librettos, drafts of libretto translations, audio and video recordings, research notes on various Italian operas and languages, copies of sources, scholarly articles, sheet music, information regarding MRF Records, and working and final drafts of Arsenty's publication, Meyerbeer: A Reader. The papers document Arsenty's opera research and his life-long work on documenting the performances, recordings, and music of Giacomo Meyerbeer.